Feenstra touts support from Branstad, GOP officials ahead of primary

In the final days ahead of the June 2 primary, gubernatorial candidate Randy Feenstra rallied Wednesday with former Gov. Terry Branstad and other GOP officials, telling the crowd his victory in the primary will ensure current Republicans’ work continues at the state Capitol.

West Des Moines Mayor Russ Trimble, who hosted the event at his home, recognized more than a dozen local leaders from around central Iowa, as well as state officials including Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer and Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig, who are supporting Feenstra.

Feenstra is the U.S. representative from Iowa’s 4th Congressional District. He is running for the Republican nomination against Zach Lahn, a businessman and farmer; former director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services Adam Steen; former state Rep. Brad Sherman of Williamsburg, and state Rep. Eddie Andrews of Johnston. They are hoping to succeed Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is not seeking reelection.

In his remarks, Feenstra thanked Branstad — who served as Iowa governor until 2017, when he became U.S. ambassador to China during President Donald Trump’s first term in office — for his leadership in Iowa. Feenstra said he planned to build on the longtime GOP governor’s legacy if elected.

“I want to build off what you created, the foundations of you and Kim Reynolds and the next generation, of taking this state to new heights,” Feenstra said.

Branstad told the crowd he did not give his support to Feenstra lightly, but said he believed he was Republicans’ best shot for defeating Democrat Rob Sand. The state auditor is running unopposed to be Iowa’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee in the general election.

“It’s critically important that we keep the governorship,” Branstad said. “We have five candidates for governor. I want to make sure that we have a Republican governor. And I gave a lot of thought to this before I made the decision to endorse Randy Feenstra — I have seen the job that he did in the Iowa Senate, I’ve seen the job he’s doing in the Congress for us, and I know he’s a humble, hardworking Iowan who really cares about everybody in this state.”

Branstad criticized Sand for presenting himself as a “moderate” candidate, saying this was a tactic used by other Democratic candidates who won recent gubernatorial races.

“That is exactly what the Democrats are doing all over — look at what happened in New Jersey, look what happened in Virginia,” Branstad said. “They ran as moderates, and they’ve governed as socialists. … I’m concerned that we don’t win the governorship in Iowa, we’ll see all these people that have socialist tendencies appointed as judges as department heads. …We’ve gone from big deficit under the Democrats to a surplus of over $2 billion with Republicans. We need to keep that going, and we need your help to get the message out. Randy Feenstra is the one that I can absolutely am convinced can do it. He’s got the record and the experience to represent all of Iowa, and to do it very well.”

Feenstra echoed these comments. Speaking with reporters, he said he was looking forward to debating Sand, because he wants to “show everyone who the real Rob Sand is in this state, because he hasn’t done that himself.”

“I’ll do it anywhere, any place, wherever he wants to do it. I’ll debate,” Feenstra said.

In the lead-up to the GOP primary, Feenstra has declined to participate in the two debates hosted by Iowa Press and KCCI. His opponents and some other Republicans in the state have criticized him for skipping the events. Feenstra said his campaign has focused on meeting people through campaign events rather than debates, which he said were not productive.

“For me, it was all about talking one-on-one to talk to each Iowan,” Feenstra said. “I want them to ask me questions and say, ‘hey, you know, how can I help? How can we take this thing to new heights, collectively?’ On a debate stage, it’s just people throwing arrows at each other. That gains nobody anything, right? But when you’re out working it … It’s so important that you hear from them and understand what they see as important, like lowering property taxes.”

Winning the most votes in the June 2 primary is not necessarily enough for a candidate to become their party’s nominee in the primary. In order to become the nominee, a candidate must win at least 35% of the vote on June 2 — a potentially difficult goal with five candidates in the race. If no candidate meets this threshold, delegates sent to the Iowa Republican state convention June 13 will choose the party nominee.

Feenstra said, “I’m looking to earn every vote in Iowa. I’m working every day to do that. I believe I’ll win, we’ll pass with over 35%.”

Early voting is underway for the June 2 primary election. Find more information on how to vote here.